BMW won for “Best Safety & Security Solution” at the 2013 Telematics Update Awards in Detroit. The award was given in recognition of BMW’s recent …

BMW won for “Best Safety & Security Solution” at the 2013 Telematics Update Awards in Detroit. The award was given in recognition of BMW’s recent announcement that BMW AssistTM eCall with enhanced Automatic Collision Notification and Teleservice will be standard equipment on nearly all 2014 model BMWs with 10 years of service included.

“We felt strongly that making both BMW Assist and Teleservice standard for the 2014 model year was important for our customers in terms of safety and security, particularly in light of our eCall service with its enhanced Automatic Collision Notification,” said Doug Claus, Department Manager – Product Requirements and Development for BMW of North America. “We are pleased that Telematics Update shared our view of the importance of this step.”

BMW Assist has been available in the US since 1997. It is now included in nearly every BMW sold in the US. For the 2014 model year, BMW Assist will be standard on nearly every model . It will include 10 years of eCall emergency calling and enhanced Automatic Collision Notification as well as BMW Teleservice. BMW Assist eCall includes enhanced Automatic Collision Notification, which includes the groundbreaking Urgency Algorithm, developed in cooperation with the William Lehman Injury Research Center in Miami. Apart from the vehicle’s exact position and direction of travel, details of the vehicle model and all the data gathered by the sensors in the car are relayed to the call center as well.

This information provides indications as to the nature and severity of the collision, while the deployment of the car’s restraint systems gives an idea of the number of people injured and allows frontal, rear, side or even multiple collisions to be identified and differentiated.

The Urgency Algorithm transmits the likelihood of severe injury. On the basis of all accident-related data, the call center decides which and how many emergency services are required at the accident site (e.g. doctor, paramedic, fire department, helicopter). The data also enables the first responders to alert the appropriate medical care provider for those involved in the accident before they have even arrived at the scene. The call center will also stay in contact with the vehicle’s occupants until the emergency services arrive, speaking to them in their native language where possible. As well as automatic activation, the system also allows the driver or front passenger to trigger the emergency call manually in order to help other road users in distress by alerting the call center.

TeleService tells the driver if and when maintenance is required. Fixed service intervals become a thing of the past, because the intelligent maintenance system, Condition Based Service, constantly monitors your vehicle’s service needs. When necessary, the vehicle communicates service-relevant data to the nearest BMW Service Center by making an Automatic BMW TeleService Call.